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TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2012
Want to see premium cigars exempt from FDA legislation? So does cigar
retailer Craig Cass—and the interaction he had with his Congresswoman
shows that the industry can affect a change one by one.
O
h, what a difference a little
legislative
contact
can
make. Just ask Craig Cass,
owner of Tinder Box in Charlotte,
N.C., who was once a stranger to his
state’s congressional representative,
Congresswoman Sue Myrick, but is
now a familiar face and colleague
who can count on her support for H.R.
1639, the bill put forward to exempt
traditional and premium cigars from
FDA regulation.
Cass and the Congresswoman
came together not by chance, but
because he simply, effectively,
reached out to Myrick last fall.
Representing himself as a small
business owner and employer in the
state, he invited her to come visit his
store to fully learn about cigars and
their unique tobacco contribution.
She promptly accepted.
Cass admits he was a bit nervous
just prior to her visit, but he was also
prepared. He gave her a tour of the
store, walking while explaining some
key industry talking points.
“I told her we support legislation
that keeps tobacco away from youth,
that we sell only to adult consumers,
Write Your
Congressman!
By Renee M. Covino